Improvement in piano-fortes



UNITED STATES LOUIS RUEOKERT, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN PIANO-FORTES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3,940, dated March 12,1845.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, LOUIS RUECKERT, of the cityand county of Baltimore,and State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement onPiano-Fortes, generally; andI do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation ofthe same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part ofthis speciiication. l

The improvement referred to consists in placing the common tuning-pin aopposite to its usual position-wiz., on the left side and in the placeof the usual pin for fastening the string in the common piano. Thebridge?? is made of a plate of metal set edgewise, having at its upperedge holes correspondingin number to the number of strings of the piano. The strings pass through these holes and are attached to theextremity of the short arm of an elbow or similar lever c, the same inprinci ple. The long arm of the said lever extends any optional distancein the direction of the string, and at (or near) its extremity there isa slot d, through which a screw e passes, which has a shoulder on itsupper end, and the lower extremity of which passes through a femalescrew in a plate f, inserted into the tuning-block g. This screw may befinished at the top like a thumb-screw; but I propose to have itfinished in a similar manner to the common tuning-pins-viz., with squareheads-so as to apply a key to it, the principle remaining the same.

Operation: In tuning the piano the .contr mon tuning-key is applied atthe tuning-pin a and the piano tuned in the usual manner.

This done the key is applied to the head 0f the screw e, and the mostperfect tuning is accomplished by turning the same one or the other way,stretching or relaxing the string. In consequence of lthe shape of thelever, by advancing the screw the long arm will move down and toward thetuning-block, and the shorter one following accordingly the string willbe stretched, and vice versa the string will relax. The advantage ofthis arrangement is that whether with a thumb-screw or key-screw thepiano may be tuned with greater ease and precision than formerly, and atthe shortest notice, by any professor or amateur of music, be they ladyor gentleman, after the instrument comes out of the hands of the maker.l

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The fastening of the string to the shorter arm of an elbow-lever, (orany other lever or levers the same in principle,) the extremity of thelonger arm of which being furnished with a perforation or slot throughwhich a thumb or key screw passes, the lower extremity of which passesagain through a plate inserted in the tuning-block, by which means theinstrument may be tuned in a very simple, easy, and expeditious butprecise manner by any professor or amateur of music Without the aid of aprofessional tuner, the Whole of which improvement being constructed andoperates substantially as hereinabove set forth.

LOUIS RUEOKERT.

Witnesses:

HENRY S. ADDISON, FRANCIS BENNE.

